London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Feb 20, 2026

Elon Musk overtaken as world's richest person by LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault

Elon Musk overtaken as world's richest person by LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault

The Twitter and Tesla chief executive had held the title of world's richest person since September 2021, when he overtook Amazon's Jeff Bezos to the top spot.

Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is no longer the richest person in the world after being usurped by LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault.

According to Forbes' real-time billionaires list, the 51-year-old's net worth decreased by $4.5bn (-2.9%) in comparison to Arnault, who oversees some 70 fashion and cosmetic brands, whose rose by $849m (0.46%).

Arnault's net worth is listed as $187.3bn (£151.1bn) on the Forbes list.

Back in October, Arnault hit headlines after he sold his private jet after Twitter accounts such as @i_fly_Bernard and @laviondebernard sprung up on the social media platform to track the billionaire's aircraft, revealing the amount of pollution they cause.

A year prior, the same happened to Musk. The SpaceX and Tesla chief described the tracker, which uses publicly available air-traffic information, as a potential threat to his safety - and offered the teenager behind the social media page $5k (£4k) to shut down the @ElonJet account, which was rejected. Today, the account has been suspended.

Musk's $176.8bn (£142.6bn) real-time net worth is based largely on his 25% ownership of Tesla, but stocks closed down 6.87% for the day today.

Stocks of the automotive company have more than halved in value this year partially due to a sell-off that accelerated in the wake of Musk's $44bn (£35.5bn) Twitter acquisition, CNBC reports, where he sold off approximately $4bn (£3.2bn) of Tesla stock.

Forbes said that the businessman's wealth peaked in November 2021 when he was worth $320bn (£258bn).


CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which uses slightly different methodologies, was updated on Wednesday and also ranked Musk's fortune behind Arnault.

Musk had been the world's richest man since September 2021, taking over from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Much of Musk's wealth is tied up in his private companies including rocket and internet firm SpaceX, infrastructure and tunnel construction services company The Boring Company, and Neuralink, which wants to put computer chips in people's brains.

According to Bloomberg, SpaceX, formerly known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp, is valued at around $140bn (£112.9bn) and dominates the market for commercial space launch.

Musk's dip in global wealth rankings comes shortly after he was greeted with "a lot of boos" during an awkward on-stage appearance at a Dave Chappelle comedy show in San Francisco.

In a clip posted to the mogul's Twitter account, Chappelle is seen asking audience members to "make some noise for the richest man in the world".

They promptly oblige, though likely not in the way either of the men intended. Trying to interject the hostile reaction, Musk spent most of the five-minute appearance awkwardly standing still or pacing around on stage.

In a now deleted tweet, Musk insisted that the crowd was "90% cheers" and "10% boos," which were a result of having offended "San Francisco's unhinged leftists".

A day after his appearance with Chappelle, Twitter dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, which was formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.

Shortly after buying Twitter for $44bn in late October, Musk said he would form a new "content moderation council" to help make major decisions, but later changed his mind.

Last week, three council members announced they were resigning in a public statement posted on Twitter that said "contrary to claims by Elon Musk, the safety and wellbeing of Twitter's users are on the decline".
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Confirms Preferential U.S. Trading Terms Will Continue After Supreme Court Tariff Ruling
U.S. and U.K. to Hold Talks on Diego Garcia as Iran Objects to Potential Military Use
UK Officials Weigh Possible Changes to Prince Andrew’s Position in Line of Succession Amid Ongoing Scrutiny
British Police Probe Epstein’s UK Airport Links and Expand High-Profile Inquiries
Early 2026 Data Suggests Tentative Recovery for UK Businesses and Households
UK Introduces Digital-First Passport Rules for Dual Citizens in Border Control Overhaul
Unable to Access Live Financial Data for January UK Surplus Report
UK ‘Working Closely with US’ to Assess Impact of Supreme Court Tariff Ruling
Trump Criticises UK Decision to Restrict Use of Bases in Potential Iran Strike Scenario
UK Foreign Secretary and U.S. State Chief Hold Strategic Talks as Tensions Rise Over Joint Air Base
Nordic Fracture: How Criminal Scandals and Toxic Ties are Dismantling the Norwegian Crown
US Supreme Court Voids Trump’s Emergency Tariff Plan, Reshaping Trade Power and Fiscal Risk
King Charles III Opens London Fashion Week as Royal Family Faces Fresh Scrutiny
Trump’s Evolving Stance on UK Chagos Islands Deal Draws Renewed Scrutiny
House Democrat Says Former UK Ambassador Unable to Testify in Congressional Epstein Inquiry
No Record of Prince Andrew Arrest in UK as Claims Circulate Online
UK Has Not Granted US Approval to Launch Iran Strikes from RAF Bases, Government Confirms
AI Pricing Pressure Mounts as Chinese Models Undercut US Rivals and Margin Risks Grow
Global Counsel, Advisory Firm Co-Founded by Lord Mandelson, Enters Administration After Client Exodus
London High Court dispute over Ricardo Salinas’s $400mn Elektra share-backed bitcoin loan
UK Intensifies Efforts to Secure Saudi Investment in Next-Generation Fighter Jet Programme
Former Student Files Civil Claim Against UK Authorities After Rape Charges Against Peers Are Dropped
Archer Aviation Chooses Bristol for New UK Engineering Hub to Drive Electric Air Taxi Expansion
UK Sees Surge in Medical Device Testing as Government Pushes Global Competitiveness
UK Competition Watchdog Flags Concerns Over Proposed Getty Images–Shutterstock Merger
Trump Reasserts Opposition to UK Chagos Islands Proposal, Urges Stronger Strategic Alignment
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis advocates for a ban on minors using social media.
Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash Accuses Prime Minister of Lying to Australians
Meanwhile in Time Square, NYC One of the most famous landmarks
Jensen Huang just told the story of how Elon Musk became NVIDIA’s very first customer for their powerful AI supercomputer
A Lunar New Year event in Taiwan briefly came to a halt after a temple official standing beside President Lai Ching‑te suddenly vomited, splashing Lai’s clothing
Jillian Michaels reveals Bill Gates’ $55 million investment in mRNA vaccines turned into over $1 billion.
Ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrested
Former British Prince Andrew Arrested on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office
Four Chagos Islanders Establish Permanent Settlement on Atoll
Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing showcases future robot deployment during Spring Festival Gala.
UK Inflation Slows Sharply in January, Strengthening Case for Bank of England Rate Cut
Hide the truth, fake the facts, pretend the opposite, Britain is as usual
France President Macron says Free Speech is Bull Sh!t
Viktor Orbán getting massive praise for keeping Hungary safe, rich and migrant-free!
UK Inflation Falls to Ten-Month Low, Markets Anticipate Interest Rate Cut
UK House Prices Climb 2.4% in December as Market Shows Signs of Stabilisation
BAE Systems Predicts Sustained Expansion as Defence Orders Reach Record High
Pro-Palestine Activists Cleared of Burglary Charges Over Break-In at UK Israeli Arms Facility
Former Reform UK Councillors Form New Local Group Amid Party Fragmentation
Reform UK Pledges to Retain Britain’s Budget Watchdog as It Seeks Broader Economic Credibility
Miliband Defends UK-California Clean Energy Pact After Sharp Criticism by Trump
University of Kentucky to Host 2026 Summer Camps Fair Connecting Families with Local Programmes
UK Police Forces Assess Claims Jeffrey Epstein Used Stansted Airport Flights in Trafficking Network
UK-Focused Equity ETF FLGB Climbs to Fresh 52-Week Peak on Strong Market Sentiment
×